The present work is part of a feasibility study to investigate the excimer laser photon-assisted thermal decompn. of anthracene at 248 nm. The principle is to combine UV photons of an appropriate light source and heat in an incinerating reactor at modest temps. for a more efficient decompn. of hydrocarbons in general. We have achieved a destruction enhancement factor of approx. a factor of 1000 at 750 Deg in the photon-assisted thermal compared to the pure thermal decompn. at a modest laser power d. of 13 mW/cm2. By varying the laser power d. at 600 Deg we obtained photoenhanced destruction factors of approx. 4000 at 54 mW/cm2. The quantum yield for the photon-assisted thermal decompn. of anthracene slightly increases with temp. in the range from 450-750 Deg. However, we note complications in our exptl. arrangement in that the photoenhancement falls off at higher laser power. Levels of destruction in the ppb range seem possible at moderate temps. of less than 900 Deg and gas phase residence times of a few seconds.